"Our position was very clear and we reiterate: we condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine", reflected in votes at the United Nations, and Cabo Verde has "very strong partnerships" that it is keen to maintain, said Ulisses Correia e Silva, in a meeting with the media in Mindelo, São Vicente island, on Monday, to take stock of three years of the second term of government.

"The CPLP is a community of Portuguese-speaking countries, it does not aim to define a single concertation regarding external relations. The ideal would be that, in fact, there could be a position that could reflect the position of the CPLP, but that is not its [its] nature and mission: they are free and independent countries", he said.

The community includes states "with political interests that are sometimes convergent and sometimes divergent", he added.

In line with Kiev's allies, the head of government classified Cabo Verde's partnership with the European Union (EU) as "structuring" in social, economic and also defense and security matters, in addition to the strong diaspora on European soil.

In the same way, he classified as "very strong" the connection with the USA, a country where the archipelago also has a large diaspora and with which it has "shared values".

"Integration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)" is governed "by the same principles", he added.

"Our options are clear, our actions are consistent", he concluded.

Portugal expressed to São Tomé and Príncipe "surprise" and "apprehension" over the technical military cooperation agreement signed with Russia, revealed, on Thursday night, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.  

The executive secretary of the CPLP also stated, on Thursday, that "there is no drama" on the matter, while the Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, considered it important to "safeguard the unity of the CPLP", recalling that "when the invasion by the Russian Federation of Ukraine [in 2022] began, there were votes at the United Nations and in some of the votes the CPLP was divided, and it was very divided".

The news of the agreement with São Tomé and Príncipe came alongside a visit by the Guinean President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, to Russia, during which the Guinean head of state assured his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that he could count on Guinea-Bissau "as a permanent ally".

Embaló said on Monday that he has "more than 100 military officers in training in Russia", and has also requested training for the Guinean special forces.

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